Is it really teaching, or are we being too loose?I have tested three comic book generating online tools: https://www.storyboardthat.com/comic-maker https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/ https://app.pixton.com/#/join?classCode=xjaph Storyboard that gives the widest range of features: backgrounds, characters, objects, shapes of speech bubbles, element editor (to change colour, size etc. of each element you drag and drop into your box), but the free mode does not allow download without a very visible watermark, and you have a limit to create only two quite short comic books. It's excellent if you require it every week because it's versatile in styles. Pixton is probably my favourite, because it's limitless withing a particular 'package'. If you are working on 18th century art, you may just buy that package, and you can create as many comic books as possible. It even gets the classroom feature, where the teacher, and the students she can invite, create a virtual classroom. So, it creates a community within the comic book space. Makebeliefs comics is the most artistic and unique one. It's limitless, but the options are not as rich as in the Storyboard. However, the artist created a lot of classroom-intended materials, downloadable e-books, and the aura of his particular style is embossed into each element. It is important to note that this website was created with the purpose to help the students with special learning differences, so the author really took into the account the emotional aspect of learning and growing up. All three are very easy to navigate and creating comic books can be very addictive, whichever you choose. I am sure there are more such websites, so I encourage you to do the research. In the meantime, let me explore the potential of using these in the classroom, especially looking from the lens of dyslexia-friendly approaches and techniques. Experiential learningEven the grandfather of education, J.J. Rousseau stressed the main method of learning at the very beginning of his canonical work Emile, or on Education: 'Don't teach, but let the child be instructed by experience'. This idea was carried on into the twentieth century and seriously developed by David Kolb, and has been developed and refined to date. What does that have to do with comic books? Well, until we can actually fly off with the aliens, meet the dinosaurs, or walk the streets of an imaginary town, we are confined to the interior of our classrooms, or the frame of our screens. And this is where the comic books pose a portal to the other reality. Creating a comic book provides a setting similar to experiential learning, because it contains design (thinking), creation (acting), characters, relationships, causes and consequences, as well as reflection and self-correction. It is a beta version of a possible reality. The students get to practice their skills embodied by characters. The biggest bonus is letting the imagination go loose, artistic expression, all in a funny and perhaps silly environment. Visual stimulationAnd how is all that relevant in an English class? Not only that the comic book caters to students with non-traditional learning styles, needless to say, it is highly visual. The images will imprint the verbal foreground more efficiently, as it will be a multi-sensory approach. We are also giving an opportunity to more creative students to show their talent off the 'pen-and-paper stage'. Working in pairs might be more fruitful if we pair up an imaginative student with a classmate who is skillful at writing, typing, or spelling. The 'comic duo' can shine even brighter if we give them a chance to share their work, after revision and editing, perhaps on the school notice board. The comic books can be quite simple, using familiar backgrounds, to enforce and practice vocabulary, for example. A simple series of 'indoor' house interior can help us practice daily routines, the rooms and furniture, or the prepositions. Possible activity ideas, that range from highly scaffolded and controlled, to creative and free, are:
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AuthorMartina Matejaš is a teacher of English and Yoga. She is keen on understanding the mind-body connection as well as cracking the 'code' of thoughts-emotions-behaviour matrix. Archives
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